After spending the last 4 days walking the first part of the Rota Vicentina Trail, along the wild Atlantic coast of Portugal, we’re already wondering why we waited for so long, to do our first long-distance, multi-day walk…
I suppose when we were younger, we had stressful jobs and when we had time off, we just wanted to stop, and relax a little, so plumped for gentle breaks away, in France. We never considered doing anything more than a nice walk, or cycle around the areas we were staying in.
Then, with the boys, it was family holidays, visiting new countries, even learning how to ski and (as a result) learning quite a lot about healthcare in different countries too!
When we finally managed to make the leap to buy our little home in France, that became our holidays, and eventually our permanent home. But, now it’s home, with all the day-to-day life that comes with it, we are enjoying striking out a little bit further, and enjoying that we now have the free time, to be able to do it too.
We have always chosen to travel simply, opting for camping, or self-catering, preferring peaceful spots to busy resorts, and cooking for ourselves, rather than going out for meals. In many ways, the older we have got, the more simple our holidays have become.
Three years ago we did our first long distance cycle ride together, and they have become regular events for us now, but this is the first time we have packed our lives into a rucksack and just walked, to get from A to B. We fancied a different type of adventure and a multi-day hike was was something we’d never done before.
We had chosen the Rota Vicentina, as it looked beautiful, had reasonably distanced stages, and would be perfect for walking, in early October. Also, we had never visited Portugal, so it felt like the perfect option, and here we are.
There is something rather grounding about stripping everything back to the simple necessities of life, deciding what needs to be carried in a rucksack and what doesn’t. It is amazing, what you can do without, when you know the only option is to carry it yourself. And 4 days into the walk, we’re so pleased that we went to the efforts, we did – even if weighing pants did seem a bit extreme.
The route is beautiful, skirting the dramatic Atlantic coast, with magnificent views, in every direction
And the coast is ever-changing too, from wide, sandy bays that were busy with surfers
To beautiful coves, that can only be accessed by narrow, steep paths.
In general, it’s only accessible on foot, as there are very few tracks that you would be able to drive on, outside those close to the villages. So the only way to see this spectacular part of the coast, is to walk. And there is a purity in that.
It’s been so nice to slow down a bit. This summer’s cycling adventures were guided by quite extreme weather events, so we were always under pressure to arrive at our destination, either before it go too hot, or before we got too wet. We stopped for coffee, or lunch, but not for long, always feeling under pressure to move on again.
The walk has been very different, and although the weather has been hotter than we had expected, we have found plenty of time to slow down, and enjoy where we are.
We have found ourselves sitting on the cliffs, simply absorbed by the view, taking in the dramatic rock formations that have been formed over millions of years. The simple act of sitting and looking at a view is one of the few things that we have in common with our ancient ancestors. There are so many things to distract us now that it’s been very lovely to just observe and enjoy what is in front of us.
Looking at some of the formations, it’s easy to understand how some of the myths and legends came about. We may now understand the huge forces of nature that formed the cliffs, but it’s easy to see where a vast dragon may have been turned to stone, its teeth still evident, and ready to bite unsuspecting sailors…
Or where angry Giants fought, crumpling the edge of the land, in anger..
I know these aren’t local legends, but I like to think such stories have been woven, and that in other places, they have eventually become part of the local folklore…
We knew that the trail was sandy, it’s mentioned in the books and blogs, so we had come prepared. I had goretex-lined trail runners, Andy had his favourite walking shoes, and we had bought sand-gaiters ( something I didn’t even know existed ), so we were ready. But I don’t think either of us quite expected the sand that we have experienced, so far.
The second day of 20km is pretty much exclusively across sand. Not sandy tracks, but at times deep sand, that takes you over dunes. With every step forward on the hills, you slip half a step back, finding yourself taking fast, almost dainty steps to keep moving forward. This was where we really appreciated having cut the weight in our packs to the absolute minimum
The hiking itself has been varied, with daily distances between 11 and 22 kilometres, which have been easily manageable. So far, there have been no especially steep climbs, but the big factor has been sand.
In some areas the sand is firmer than others, and we soon learned to follow edges, where scrub plants or the rampant Hottentot Figs, had consolidated it a little, although often there was no option, but to wade on.
It wasn’t unwalkable, but it certainly made it more of a challenge, and by the end if that day, we were delighted to finally have Vila Nova de Milfontes in our sights, with the thought of solid pavements.
Taking off our shoes, and removing the sand-gaiters, we realised just what an amazing job they had done, as not one grain of sand had made it into our shoes, meaning no sore feet, or blisters either.
After 4 days, we’ve walked just over 67km, and are enjoying a day off in the stunning seaside village of Zambujeira do Mar.
We always find, on the bike rides, that having a day off after 4 days of pedalling suits us really well, and the same seems to be true of the walk.
We can have a slow day just catching up on bits that need to be done, make sure we have everything we will need for the next stages, have a slow breakfast, and let our legs relax a little. I may even go for a little swim, later
So far, the walk has been everything we imagined it would be, and as a first experience of a long walk, I’m not sure that we could have chosen better.
It may be our first hiking trail experience, but we’re already sure that it won’t be our last, and that we will be back to explore more of Portugal too.
It’s a truly stunning, friendly country and we haven’t even scratched the surface.
